Nurtured Potential

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Sutherland, NSW
Nurtured Potential

Mobile Occupational Therapy services supporting individuals in Sutherland NSW and surrounds and telehealth services available Australia-wide.

Contact us for more information! We are an Occupational Therapy service supporting clients in Sutherland and surrounding areas.

13/02/2026

Support managing accidents along the way 💛

When children are learning to use the toilet, accidents are not setbacks, they’re information. Toileting is a complex skill involving body awareness, timing, motor planning, communication, and regulation. It takes time for all of these pieces to come together.

Why accidents happen

Learning to recognise body signals and get to the toilet in time is new. Children may be busy playing, still developing interoception (the ability to recognise and respond to internal signals), or learning how to manage clothing and routines. Accidents are a normal part of this process.

After my daughter had her first couple of p*e accidents, the next time she started to p*e, she looked down, was able to hold it and let the rest out on the potty.

Calm responses support learning

How we respond matters more than the accident itself. Staying calm helps children feel safe and keeps their nervous system regulated, which supports learning.

Try:
“You did a wee on the floor. Wee goes on the potty. Let’s get you cleaned up. Next time we can try the toilet.”

What helps learning

- Neutral tone and calm body language
- Predictable routines
- Gentle reminders
- Opportunities to try again
- Involving your child in clean-up if they're willing to help.

What can create pressure

- Shame or punishment
- Big reactions
- Rushing
- Expecting dry days too quickly
- Forcing them to help with clean ups

Regulation first, clean-up second 🫧

If your child is upset, start with connection. A calm body learns best. Once they’re regulated, you can move into changing clothes and trying again later.

Accidents are part of the learning process, and with calm support, children build confidence and independence at their own pace 🤍

12/02/2026

So you think your child is ready… now what?

Here are some ways to begin without pressure:

🕰️ Choose a calm window

Try to start when there aren’t big changes happening in the next few months (travel, moving home, new sibling arriving soon). A settled week gives everyone more capacity. Even a few days at home to practice with no scheduled events can give your child a great start.

👀 Follow your child’s cues

You don’t need strict schedules right away. Begin by noticing patterns - when do they usually wee or poo? Offer the toilet at those natural times. Others find it helps to prompt every 30 minutes or so and remind the child where the toilet/potty is if they feel the wee or poo feeling.

🪑 Start with short, low-pressure sits

A few minutes is enough. Sitting to read a book, blow bubbles, or sing a song helps build comfort without expectation.

🗣️ Model and narrate

Let your child come with you to the toilet. Calmly talk through the steps:
“Push pants down… sit… wee goes in the toilet… flush… wash hands.”

👖 Practise clothing skills daily

Keep inviting your child to push pants down/up during changes and dressing. Independence here makes toileting feel more achievable.

🧠 Keep expectations realistic

Toilet learning involves motor skills, interoception, regulation, communication, and sequencing. It’s a lot of new learning at once.

💬 Use calm, neutral language

“Your body is wiggling- it looks like it's telling you it needs a wee. Let’s try sitting on the potty.”

Avoid pressure or rewards that create urgency. Confidence grows with safety.

🫧 Prioritise safety and connection

If your child resists, that’s information. We can slow down, go back a step, and build comfort again. Feeling safe in the bathroom is more important than sp*ed.

Toilet learning is a process of learning to tune into body signals, learning routines, and growing independence. Starting gently often leads to more confidence (and less stress) for everyone.

Save this for when you’re about to begin 🤍

11/02/2026

Potty or toilet? Let’s talk toileting set-ups 🚽

There isn’t one right way to start potty learning. Some children do best with a potty first, others prefer the toilet straight away. The goal is a set-up that feels safe, stable and predictable for your child.

Starting with a potty

Pros:
• Feet flat on the floor = more stability.
• Easier to sit on while they’re learning to connect the feeling.
• Easy to place in a familiar space and can be portable.
• Helpful for children who feel anxious about the toilet.

Consider:
• You’ll eventually transition to the toilet.
• Some children prefer to copy adults instead.
• Some children find it difficult to generalise skills, so may prefer to go straight to learning on the toilet.

Starting with the toilet

Pros:
• One consistent place from the start.
• Easier for routines outside the home.
• Many children like copying parents/siblings.

Helpful supports:
• Step stool for climbing + foot support. These can take time for children to navigate in the learning phase.
• Reducer seat for security.
• Stable posture (feet supported, knees slightly higher than hips). Feet should not be dangling!

Things that matter more than potty vs toilet:
• Feeling safe and not rushed
• Predictable routines
• Sensory comfort (noise, lighting, temperature)
• A calm, low-pressure approach

Some children even use both depending on the situation - and that’s okay too. We personally found this little set up handy as it was right next to miss 2's play space, so we could encourage her to head straight to the potty when she started to go, or expressed a need to. She could also sit down on it herself without any help which made it quick in the early stages. A few spare shorts and some toilet paper and wipes next to it helped with clean ups, and a small bucket was handy to store any washing.

Follow your child’s cues and choose the set-up that helps their body feel secure. Comfort and confidence come first 🌱

09/02/2026

Readiness signs for potty learning 🚽

Many children begin showing readiness between 18 months and 3 years, but readiness matters more than age.

When we follow readiness rather than pressure, learning is smoother and less stressful for everyone.

You might notice your child is:
• Staying dry for longer periods or wakes up dry after naps
• Showing awareness of wees/poos (pausing, hiding, telling you)
• Interested in the toilet or copying others
• Able to sit on the toilet (even briefly)
• Having more predictable bowel movements
• Able to push their pants down and pull them up.

Readiness doesn’t have to mean all of these are present. It’s more about gentle curiosity and emerging awareness.

If your child isn’t showing these signs yet, that’s not a problem! It just means we keep building foundations and reducing pressure.

Potty learning works best when it feels safe, predictable and child-led 🤍

08/02/2026

Before you focus on the toilet itself, it can help to build the foundations first 🚽

Helpful skills to support before toilet learning begins:

• Awareness of body sensations 💭
Noticing internal cues (like pressure or fullness) supports interoception and lays the groundwork for recognising when the body needs to wee or poo.

• Predictable routines 🕧
Inviting your child to come with you to the toilet while you model and gently narrate the steps helps them learn what to expect. This kind of exposure can begin well before active toilet learning.

• Independence with managing pants 👖
Encouraging your child to “push your pants down” during nappy changes builds motor planning and independence long before the toilet is involved.

• Feeling safe in the bathroom 🫧
If the toilet feels unfamiliar or a little scary, play can help. Blowing bubbles, reading books, or doing a simple activity while sitting on the toilet (even with clothes on) can build comfort and trust.

When these foundations are in place, toilet learning often feels less overwhelming. Your child already has confidence with some of the key skills while learning many new ones.

31/01/2026

One year ago today we welcomed our very first clients at Nurtured Potential and we're so grateful for an incredible first year! ✨

Since then, we have:
🌱 Welcomed an incredible OT and Sp*ech Pathologist!
💜 Supported 36 amazing families (and counting!)
🤝 Built strong connections with so many wonderful allied health professionals.

We're so grateful to the families who have trusted us, the professionals who've collaborated with us, and the small humans (and big ones) who show up and do the work every day.

Here's to continuing to grow, learn and support each person's unique potential - together.

Thank you for being part of the journey 💫

24/01/2026

And we’re back ✨

Kicking off 2026 with CPD in toileting with

This one feels extra special, as I’m combining 10 years of OT experience with my current reality of toilet learning alongside my toddler.

Going through this with my own child has offered a refreshed perspective that I’m really looking forward to bringing into my work with families this year 💛 It’s early days (literally day one…), but I’ve already gained new insights that are shaping and refining my approach 🌱

28/10/2025

Brushing up on strategies to best support our young ADHDers with 🎉 so many useful tools to share with our clients 😁

14/08/2025

✨ Instead of saying “special interests”, try “interests,” “passions,” or “hobbies.”

Autistic and neurodivergent people deserve their joy, curiosity, and passions to be celebrated, not pathologised. 💡💖

Supporting these passions builds confidence, connection and motivation.

This is the final post in our 10-day language shift series! Let’s keep the conversation going: be mindful of your choice of language, check in with those around you about their preferred language and share this series with others who want to learn too.

Tell us in the comments - what language shift will you start using today? 👇

13/08/2025

🌈✨ Different is not less. ✨🌈

When we say “deficits in social communication” 🗣️💬, we’re implying that someone’s way of connecting is broken.

But communication isn’t one-size-fits-all!

Autistic & neurodivergent people might share through:
💬 Words
🤝 Movement & gestures
🎨 Pictures & devices
🎶 Shared passions
… and every one of these is valid.

The Double Empathy Problem (Milton, 2012) teaches us that misunderstandings happen both ways when people communicate differently. There’s no “right” or “wrong” — just different styles to learn.

Let’s celebrate communication diversity 🌍 and honour all the ways people connect.

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Sutherland, NSW
2232

Website

http://www.nurturedpotential.com.au/

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